Pharmaceuticals, Personal Care Products, and Endocrine Disruptors in Water: Implications for the Water Industry

Abstract

For over 70 years, scientists have reported that certain synthetic and natural compounds could mimic natural hormones in the endocrine systems of animals. These substances are now collectively known as endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs), and have been linked to a variety of adverse effects in both humans and wildlife. More recently, pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) have been discovered in various surface and ground waters, some of which have been linked to ecological impacts at trace concentrations. The majority of EDCs and PPCPs are more polar than traditional contaminants and several have acidic or basic functional groups. These properties, coupled with occurrence at trace levels (i.e., ,1 mg/L), create unique challenges for both removal processes and analytical detection. Reports of EDCs and PPCPs in water have raised substantial concern among the public and regulatory agencies; however, very little is known about the fate of these compounds during drinking and wastewater treatment. Numerous studies have shown that conventional drinking and wastewater treatment plants can not completely remove many EDCs and PPCPs. Oxidation with chlorine and ozone can result in transformation of some compounds with reactive functional groups under the conditions employed in water and wastewater treatment plants. Advanced treatment technologies, such as activated carbon and reverse osmosis, appear viable for the removal of many trace contaminants including EDCs and PPCPs. Future research needs include more detailed fate and transport data, standardized analytical methodology, predictive models, removal kinetics, and determination of the toxicological relevance of trace levels of EDCs and PPCPs in water.Key words: endocrine disruptor; pharmaceutical; drinking water; wastewater; treatment; review 449 ENDOCRINE DISRUPTING COMPOUNDS P ERHAPS THE MOST DIFFICULT PART of understanding the subject of endocrine disruption involves a definition of the term. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has defined environmental endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) as exogenous agents that interfere with the "synthesis, secretion, transport, binding, action, or elimi- nation of natural hormones in the body that are responsible for the maintenance of homeostasis, reproduction, development, and/or behavior" (EPA, 1997). However, definitions and opinions on what defines an EDC vary greatly. It is generally accepted that the three major classes of endocrine disruption endpoints are estrogenic (compounds that mimic or block natural estrogen), androgenic (compounds that mimic or block natural testosterone), and thyroidal (compounds with direct or indirect impacts to the thyroid). As we will illustrate, the majority of research thus far has focused only on estrogenic compounds; however, disruption of androgen and thyroid function may be of greater or equal importance biologically.Although the topic of endocrine disruption is considered an "emerging issue" in the water industry, scientists have known about the ability o...

Review of risk from potential emerging contaminants in UK groundwater

“…A review of implications for the US water industry is provided by Snyder et al (2003) starting from an analytical perspective. Joss et al (2006) showed that efficiency of elimination of micro-organics depends on the relative rate of degradation and retention times in the plant.…”

“…In order to assess removal it is critical to understand their size distribution and particulate and colloidal association of micro contaminants in raw drinking water (Snyder et al, 2003).…”

“…Chlorine dioxide is anticipated to react particularly with compounds containing phenolic amino and thio functions (Snyder et al, 2003). In a study of 98 organic micro-compounds, Gibs et al (2007) showed that 50% were not substantially degraded by combined and free chlorine.…”

“…Reactions with ozone are reviewed by Snyder et al (2003). Advanced oxidation, which uses a combination of ozone with other oxidation agents such as UV radiation, hydrogen peroxide or TiO2, generates reactive intermediates and includes electrochemical mineralisation and solar photocatalysis (Comninellis et al, 2008).…”

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products in effluent matrices: A survey of transformation and removal during wastewater treatment and implications for wastewater management

“…[1][2][3] Improved analytical methodologies have lowered detection limits for these compounds to parts per trillion (ppt) levels even in the most complex of environmental matrices, leaving little doubt as to their occurrence in water supplies around the globe. What remains, however, is a growing list of questions pertaining to the environmental fate of PPCPs, the ecotoxicological and human health risks associated with their …”